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We have some sad news over here at Beneficial, A Mindful Travel Company.

As of the end of this month and for a confluence of reasons that all came together at the same time, we are now sunsetting our special little social enterprise experiment. This process will be complete within the week.

Benef and I wanted to reach out to everyone who has supported us and say thank you!

While our dual mission of bringing mindfulness to personal travel experiences and giving away free vacations to veterans suffering from PTSD was not realized to the degree we had hoped – there is still so much more to do!! – we couldn't have asked for a better community of hospitality, military, investment, marketing, and mindfulness leaders who helped us.

We're pretty proud of some of the successes we couldn't have completed without your support:

We estimate we were able to reach +100 victims or family members of victims who had been struggling with PTSD within the military ecosystem, including those suffering from combat-related and/or sexual trauma. PTSD is a complicated challenge for many to cope with and overcome. While there may be no true cure (yet) for those afflicted, we do believe that every little bit of positive support helps.

Through our work and Benef's work with Warriors at Ease, we made positive strides toward increasing awareness of the benefits of mindfulness, meditation, and yoga, and how critical it is to have greater mental health fitness training within our military. Check out YogaJournal's cover article this month to see some of this direct work in action.

We were particularly proud of the trauma-sensitive, intention-based, and travel-focused mindfulness program we developed. Our prototype leverages and combines Meg's personal experience with mindfulness leader Will Kabat-Zinn, contemporary advertising and psychological attachment theory principles, and work with art therapists, alongside Benef's effective and extensive military training and yoga expertise. We hope to find a home for this prototype somewhere in the future, perhaps with another organization, but for now, we are pressing pause to determine next steps.

As far as what is on the horizon for us –

Benef has recently written a book about the role mindfulness played both in her 20-year military career and while being a mom. Pre-order it from Amazon here! She will continue to focus on her increasing responsibilities on the board of Warriors At Ease, as well as speaking engagements involving women's leadership, mindfulness, and the military. Additionally, she and her family recently completed a move to Japan where her active-duty husband is now stationed. Visitors welcome! On base, she will be working with the Red Cross as their Resiliency Lead while also teaching yoga.

Megan is continuing her part time work as a mindfulness coach and speaker for healthcare professionals and investment leaders in San Francisco and will be consulting with NewPathVR, a startup offering VR and AI solutions for psychological and emotional wellness, helping them to raise funds. While doing so, she is starting the process to look for a new full-time opportunity and welcomes any support or mentorship in that process if anyone knows anyone looking for a culture and diversity advocate or a versatile, creative business marketer and leader.